IMDb RATING
6.8/10
981
YOUR RATING
Ye Rutang, a single-living woman in her late fifties, struggles to maintain a dignified life amid the dangers of Shanghai.Ye Rutang, a single-living woman in her late fifties, struggles to maintain a dignified life amid the dangers of Shanghai.Ye Rutang, a single-living woman in her late fifties, struggles to maintain a dignified life amid the dangers of Shanghai.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 13 wins & 25 nominations
Siqin Gaowa
- Auntie
- (as Gaowa Siqin)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
Pan Zhichang: My home was once right behind that apartmen block. It's all gone now.You know that old saying. All things must pass were just shadows on the journey of life. Nothing is really ours in this world. As Su Dongpo put it,we don't even own our own bodies... Can you lend me 300 yuan?
Ye Rutang: No problem. Here you are.
Featured review
The Postmodern Life of My Aunt is not a comedy, as the ads, and the poster, would suggest. Instead it's a depressing story of how a woman's life slides downhill.
I had other problems with the film as well. As someone who has lived in China for seven years, I can definitely say Siqin Gaowa seemed too dowdy to be a Shanghai woman, and Chow Yun-Fat looked too suave and sophisticated to be a middle-aged Mainland man. I also didn't see the point of the young boy's character, although I guess it is an Ann Hui trope (if that's the right word) to have a character's story told through the eyes of a kid. He was a real cypher, and was barely in the film at all. How could he even know that stuff about his aunt? Using the child's perspective in Song of the Exile worked well, but not here at all. I also couldn't buy Vicki Zhao Wei in her role, and her appearance and back story came so out of the blue that it almost seemed like a joke.
All in all, a big disappointment, but I wouldn't have been so upset about it if the film's advertisements didn't make it look like a comedy. I really dislike when advertisers pull people into a film under false pretenses. If it is a tragedy, fine, advertise it as a tragedy. Just don't mislead audiences.
I had other problems with the film as well. As someone who has lived in China for seven years, I can definitely say Siqin Gaowa seemed too dowdy to be a Shanghai woman, and Chow Yun-Fat looked too suave and sophisticated to be a middle-aged Mainland man. I also didn't see the point of the young boy's character, although I guess it is an Ann Hui trope (if that's the right word) to have a character's story told through the eyes of a kid. He was a real cypher, and was barely in the film at all. How could he even know that stuff about his aunt? Using the child's perspective in Song of the Exile worked well, but not here at all. I also couldn't buy Vicki Zhao Wei in her role, and her appearance and back story came so out of the blue that it almost seemed like a joke.
All in all, a big disappointment, but I wouldn't have been so upset about it if the film's advertisements didn't make it look like a comedy. I really dislike when advertisers pull people into a film under false pretenses. If it is a tragedy, fine, advertise it as a tragedy. Just don't mislead audiences.
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $900,679
- Runtime1 hour 51 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (2006) officially released in India in English?
Answer